OPINE
by mayag12987
Summary: This is an idea I got not too long ago and I'm still writing/working on it. It might turn into a book someday or a script. All rights reserved and it's protected so please don't copy.
1. Chapter 1

**Introduction:**

Have you ever joined an online book club, or any book club for that matter, wondering if you will ever meet the members in person? Well that's what happened to the members of the Opine club which became one of the Internet's most popular book clubs. Members from all over the world read the latest books from the bestselling author's and then come together at the Opine club, discussing what they've read. Only this club brought together a certain group of people who became closer than the rest.

The group consists of eight members, who have their private chat room in the club, from all over the world. Every week, at the same time, all eight members meet up to discuss what's going on in their current book. Even though the friends aren't across the street from one another, it sure seems that way to them. After having been in the club for over three years now, they suddenly decide to meet up in person for the first time in Salzburg, Austria.

Every member lives in a different city around the globe so they decided to meet up in a city and country that isn't their own. Once the big trip was planned, each of them made reservations at The Bristol Hotel in Salzburg since they all wanted to make a good, first impression. The Bristol Hotel is a five-star hotel in Salzburg that not everyone can afford but the friends made sure that each member was able to get a room at the fancy hotel. Reservations were made for a specific day and a dinner reservation was made for a specific evening at the hotel.

Meeting people online and forming friendships isn't such a bad thing at all but once you meet those people in person, will things change or will it be like it was online? What will happen on that first day together? Different personalities, different countries, different languages. Many things can happen but are first impressions really that important? Read on to find out.

**[Please do not steal/copy. All rights reserved and yes, it's protected.]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 1:**

Salzburg is quite the city. It isn't surprising why it gets millions of visitors each year and is one of the top winter, as well as summer, destinations in the world. Clear blue skies, mountains covered in snow in the winter, the city is surely magical to young and old alike. Something always happens in Salzburg that allows people to find an adventure each time they visit. Of course this time wasn't any different as eight friends found themselves choosing Salzburg for their meeting one winter.

Being in an online book club would seem boring for some but not for Summer, Elisabeth, Andrea, Pierre, Antonio, Jia, Ace and May, the eight friends who had just arrived in the beautiful city on a beautiful morning. After checking into the same hotel, the popular Bristol Hotel, their first time meeting was only a few, short hours away. Each of their rooms was fascinating and they couldn't take their eyes off the decorations as they unpacked their suitcases.

Although being the only American out of the bunch, Summer, a nineteen year old NYU student, spoke different languages and had studied about European culture that would come in handy now that she is in Europe. Summer is the smart blonde with glasses, who may love to shop but doesn't necessarily fit the whole "shop-now-study-later" type of girl. Her good looks may have helped her get into a bar once in a while but her brains got her so much further than that. She is one of the best students in her field, which is Literature, and will surely graduate with many honors once that time comes.

Then we have a lovely English girl named Elisabeth who isn't as "lovely" as some label her to be. Sure she's English and therefore many expect her to have manners but let's just say that many people have pushed the wrong buttons with her. Oddly she gets along the best with her Internet buddies and is always there for them. This English rose looks sweet on the outside but can get quite sour on the inside. Elisabeth may only be twenty-two years old but she already owns a bookshop in London that has gotten an impressive number of customers in the past few years. She is just your typical bookworm even if that's not the impression people get when they first meet her.

As Summer and Elisabeth were both in their rooms and getting ready for the dinner that the group is having, Andrea was already done getting herself ready. The German girl, who wasn't always as smart as she looks, was looking out her window at all the lights on the street just outside. Her eyes looked up to notice the sky getting darker and the nightlife just starting to take form. Austria seems to be quiet during the day but it has its fair share of parties at night. Sighing softly to herself, she glanced at her watch on her left wrist just to make sure she wouldn't be late to the dinner. It was funny how they all met in an online book club and three years later they decide to meet up. That thought, of finally meeting her best friends in person, brought a smile to the blonde's face.

Pierre is one of three guys in the group of friends who is also one of the most successful ones. Most of them are students but Pierre's student days are over and he is now a proud artist, living his dream of creating inspiring works of art such as paintings and various sculptures. Pierre has that irresistible French accent that can get him any girl he would want but because he isn't just like the rest, he doesn't use his accent or looks to get women. He actually has a brain and a great personality that seems to be working just as well for him.

Antonio is another one of the men in the group. He is an Italian who owns his own café in Rome that attracts many tourists which is very good for business. He is one of the guys who is more sensitive than he looks. Despite being the muscular type of the bunch, he isn't afraid to show his sensitive side at all. Just like Andrea, Antonio had already gotten himself ready for the dinner. Fixing his shirt and applying some cologne, he waited a few more minutes before stepping out into the hallway. He made sure to take his room key and wallet with him before walking over to the elevators. It would only be a matter of time before he'd meet everyone and he couldn't deny the nerves.

The Chinese girl named Jia, who was still a student at college, decided to wear a traditional Chinese dress to the dinner that evening. She was quite an outspoken, smart and attractive girl who was way too excited for this meeting. Looking into the mirror, she brushed her long, dark hair one more time. Everything seemed to be going according to plan and the dinner was getting closer and closer. Taking one last look in the mirror, she took a deep breath and went out into the hall, making sure to lock her room. As she walked towards the elevator, she noticed a handsome man standing there and waiting as well. Could that be one of the guys? They all had already swapped pictures online and as she got closer to him, a smile appeared on her face.  
"Antonio?" she called out, waving to him, as her pace quickened now.

The restaurant of the hotel was nearly packed but thankfully the group had reserved a table and planned ahead. Imagine finally meeting and showing up with nowhere to sit and talk. Their table was ready for them and the first two to arrive were Ace and May. Ace, the Australian guy with the gorgeous eyes, and May, the geeky girl from New Zealand. Ace had walked into the restaurant and was the first to be seated at the table, followed by May. Being as quiet and shy at a first meeting, she approached the table with a shy smile and wasn't really sure what to say at first.  
"Uh…hey…Ace, right?" she said, her voice already sounding a little shaky. With a dreamy smile, he stood and nodded as he extended his hand to her, "Yes, that would be me, love. Don't act like you don't know me," he teased and instead of that handshake, wrapped his arms around her. May was taken aback by the hug but hugged right back before they both sat down. The rest of the gang slowly but surely began to show up and the evening could finally begin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 2:**

All eight members were sitting around the large restaurant table, sipping at their drinks and having foods that they never thought they would be able to afford until now.  
"You know, I didn't think we'd get along this well," Summer said honestly as she chuckled softly, "You'd think that you may get along online but not in person. Who knows how that works but I'm glad we are where we are now," she continued as she raised her glass, the rest of them followed.  
"To us all. Let's make this trip, the trip of a lifetime. Cheers!"she smiled brightly as everyone repeated "Cheers!" and the sound of glasses touching each other was in the air for a moment.

Elisabeth was sitting between Summer and Pierre but was too busy flirting with Pierre to even notice the smirk on Summer's face. As the British girl and the French man flirted away, Summer elbowed Elisabeth gently, "Uh…Liz?" she called her friend by her nickname, making Elisabeth lean over.  
"What?" she said back with that thick, British accent of hers.  
"How about a little less flirting and a little more drinking?" Summer teased but only got a look from Elisabeth.  
"It never really hurt anyone, now did it?" she teased right back before sending her friend a little wink and then finally returning back to the conversation she was having with Pierre. Summer only shook her head and took another sip of her drink, not thinking anything of it until she noticed the look on Andrea's face. The German girl had a sad look on her face at the moment as she sneaked a peek at Elisabeth and Pierre. Summer send a soft smile her way, knowing what was going on at that moment. Perhaps a little flirting could really hurt. It was completely obvious but whether Elisabeth knew about it or not, she didn't know yet. The young, German girl was having a crush on the French man and Summer did feel for her. Summer was also the only one who ever suspected such a thing between Andrea and Pierre but she wasn't about to start something between Andrea and Elisabeth. Did Pierre even know that Andrea liked him and was now forced to just sit there, watching Elisabeth flirt away? Who knew?

It wasn't until Ace blurted something out, that Summer stopped thinking about the love triangle. The Australian seemed to be enjoying being able to drink underage a little too much. Since they all were at the right age to drink in Europe, he seemed to be a little too pink in the face.  
"Hey, maybe someone should bring Ace back to his room," a laughing Jia suggested. The Chinese girl was enjoying some dessert already as Ace started to get a little too loud.  
"You guys, I really don't want any other eyes on us," said May, the girl from New Zealand.  
"You do not have to say another word. I will bring him back to his room and then I'll join you all again," the sweet Italian hunk, Antonio suggested as he walked over to Ace and helped the guy up from his chair.  
"I..nah, I'm not drunk, mate," Ace laughed but let his friend help him back to his room. Perhaps deep down, he knew very well that he was too drunk right about now. Everyone sighed quietly, thankful to the Italian, and continued with the evening.

Of course Elisabeth continued to flirt with Pierre and Andrea did her best to just ignore it and have a nice dinner with the others but she couldn't help peeking over to the two every now and then. It did hurt, especially since when they were online, she was the one that Pierre would always flirt with. If he would flirt with her online constantly, making her think that she was the one he could possibly be interested in, then why was he doing the same now with Elisabeth?

Summer's eyes moved back to Andrea, seeing the hurt in the girl's eyes but what could she possibly do anyways? Clearing her throat slightly, she managed to get Elisabeth's attention and leaned over to her, whispering, "Okay, Princess Di, I really think you should cut that out. We are here to have fun but not _that _kind of fun."  
Elisabeth raised her eyebrow at her friend and shot back quietly with that British accent of hers, "I'm not quite sure what you mean, S. We are here to most certainly have fun."  
With that, Elisabeth just ignored Summer and her remarks. This is not going as smoothly as they thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 3:**

Sadly, the dinner wasn't as fun for all the friends as they anticipated it to be but thankfully there were no fights between them, especially Elisabeth and Andrea. Summer knew that somehow, something will happen between those two girls who seem to have their eye on the same guy. Soon enough however, everyone was off to their rooms but not before they planned the next few days.  
"So do you guys agree then? Should we check out the slopes tomorrow morning? Well not too early since Ace might need time to recover," Summer joked, knowing that her Australian friend might just have a nice hangover in the morning. That's what he gets for drinking a little too much that night.  
"I'd love to do that since I barely get to in England," Elisabeth commented back and got an odd look from Andrea as everyone stood up, to leave the restaurant. Andrea smirked a little bit as Antonio helped her put her coat back on.  
"In Germany we are used to weather like this so a morning on the slopes isn't such a bad idea," Andrea shot back and didn't fail to glance over at Elisabeth, who was now hooking arms with Pierre and whispering something in his ear. The German girl rolled her eyes and hooked arms with Antonio, who offered to walk her to her room. This was seriously becoming a little too odd of an evening for Summer so she decided to head back to her room ahead of everyone else, not failing to wish them a good evening though.

As soon as she disappeared into the elevator, Jia turned to May.  
"Is she alright?" the Chinese girl asked her.  
"Yeah, she's fine, I hope. Maybe she was just tired," May answered with that New Zealand accent of hers which wasn't too far off from Elisabeth's British accent. Many even tend to confuse those two accents but that was a bit foolish to the ladies. There were clear differences.

It didn't take long for some type of small clique's to form as Jia and May talked the most together, Antonio and Andrea were deep in a conversation, Elisabeth and Pierre were also walking together, and that only left Summer and Ace. Well Summer was already up in her room, getting ready for bed and writing her family a quick e-mail while Ace was already fully clothed on the bed, snoring like there's no tomorrow. Why the group couldn't be more "together" so to speak, wasn't yet clear. Summer thought about it a lot, already seeing the particular clique's her group of friends had formed and she wasn't too pleased about it. They were all there to have fun _together_ and not apart. Who knew, maybe tomorrow would be a better day.

As Antonio brought Andrea back to her room, he gave her cheek a soft kiss goodnight and wished her a wonderful night before he disappeared into his room. Andrea's mind wasn't anywhere near Antonio right now, which didn't help her see that the Italian was maybe crushing on her. Her mind was too busy thinking about Pierre and whether he forgot all the e-mails and phone calls the two shared over the years.  
Sighing quietly to herself, she walked into her room and got ready for bed, not even wanting to think about him anymore. Perhaps it was just time to move on already.  
Meanwhile, Elisabeth had said goodnight to Pierre and gave him a kiss on the lips, completely shocking him. He, of course, had feelings for Andrea but he didn't want to be rude to Elisabeth.  
"I uh…have a g-good evening, Elisabeth," Pierre managed to say in that irresistible French accent before leaving for his room. Now that's something to think about for the French cutie.

Jia and May were completely unaware of the situation that was already forming as they also said goodnight to each other and went to their rooms that happened to be right next to one another. Perhaps this was the start of two new BFF's, so to speak? Who knows but tomorrow on the slopes will definitely be one interesting day, something that Summer couldn't stop thinking about. By the time an hour had passed, the American girl was the only one who was still laying awake in bed and thinking about the trip. Was this whole thing a bad idea? Should they even bother making plans for the time that they have in Austria?  
Sighing to herself, she turned her bedside lamp off and snuggled into her comfortable covers, attempting to get some rest.


End file.
